Self care for jewellers
Blog
Making jewellery is a fantastic hobby but when we turn that into a business we need to think a bit differently about what we do. Having a jewellery business is great. It can be flexible around our lives, it can grow (or not) as much as we want. There’s no commute (usually) and no dress code! But there can be downsides to running your own business. It can be lonely. You may find that you grow too quickly and are struggling to keep up with the work. You need to find a pattern or way of working that suits you and ensures you look after yourself. Remember, you are your most important asset so looking after yourself is a very important part of your job!
Here is what to look out for to ensure you don’t burn out and some advice on looking after yourself and your wellbeing.
What is burnout?
Burnout is when you feel that your work loses meaning for you. You will normally be feeling mental, physical or emotional stress; often all three. Unfortunately it leads to you feeling demotivated, pessimistic and can mean that you are physically more susceptible to illness.
Here are the five stages of burnout to look out for:
1. Honeymoon phase
When we first start a new job or hobby we are excited and enthusiastic
2. Onset of stress
This is when you become aware that you have some bad days in among the good and you may start to notice symptoms of stress
3. Chronic stress
When you are experiencing stress on a regular basis
4. Burnout
This is when you have symptoms of stress affecting your health e.g. headaches as well as psychological symptoms including a desire to escape, feelings of self-doubt and emptiness
5. Habitual burnout
When you don’t have the time to recover from burnout you can end up with chronic mental and physical symptoms that don’t ever really go away
Stress is a natural response in life to prepare us for challenges so is not necessarily something you should avoid completely. However, it is important to try to recognize when you move into stage 2 or 3 and counteract the effects of stress. If you feel you are in stage 4 or 5 you may need to take a complete break and it is recommended that you talk to your doctor or other professional to help get you back on track.
If you are in stage 1, 2 or 3 here are some strategies you can use to help you stay motivated and focused.
Know yourself
Some people are excellent at working for themselves. They are self-motivated and good at meeting deadlines and setting new goals. Other people are not. If you aren’t or if you struggle a bit with this it’s really easy to feel guilty, to procrastinate, to think you’re not cut out for running a business. The good news is there is an answer. You need to know and understand yourself and what makes you tick. If you can understand what works for you it will be much easier for you to run your business. One suggestion I have for this is to try the 4 tendencies quiz > This was created by the author Gretchen Rubin. It looks at how you deal with outer expectations e.g. from a boss, customer etc and inner expectations – what you expect of yourself. It is a personality framework and there isn’t much use trying to change the personality that you have – what you need to do is harness the things that will work for you. For example, I am an obliger. I’m good with external accountability but not so good with the things I want to do myself. One of the ways to get the things done on my list is to make the inner expectations outer expectations. So, for example, if I want to boost my sales I might work with someone else once a month, someone that could hold me accountable for the things I said I would do.
Stay organised
In business, as in life, being organised helps you to get things done more quickly. Even if you have a very small workspace find ways to know where everything is so you’re not spending time looking for the tool you need.
If you find your mind races with ideas write them down and get back to the task in hand.
Aim to do just one thing a day. We over-estimate what we can do in a day and under-estimate what we can achieve in a year. By having one task for each day helps you feel a sense of achievement, helps you focus on what is important to do right now and moves you in the right direction.
It’s a good idea to plan your actions for the next week before finishing for the weekend. Look at your diary and your goals and aims and work on that so you can start fresh straight away.
I have discovered bullet journalling which I find very helpful for organising my thoughts and to do lists. If you’re interested you can find out more here >
Your workspace
Being a jeweller is a physical job so it pays to ensure you are set up correctly to look after your wellbeing. You want to ensure your table or bench is the right height to make sure that you aren’t hunching or hurting your back. You need a good chair. I do have issues with my back at times so I use a kneeling chair. I ensure my worktable is a little higher than most people have it as I am quite tall. Making these small adjustments to my working environment have helped ensure I don’t have back problems.
Move about often and stretch. It’s too easy to be caught up in an activity and not realise the damage it is doing to your body in the moment. If you struggle with remembering setting a regular timer to go off can help.
Co-workers
If you work alone at home you may find that you feel lonely or isolated. I certainly did myself. If that does affect you then you should find a way to alleviate this. Here are a few suggestions:
Join a local networking group. If there isn’t one then start one! I meet once a month with a group of local female creative entrepreneurs for a catch up and to set some goals to be accountable for.
Find a co-working space. This has worked well for me although it isn’t something that everyone can afford or has in their local area. I rent a desk in a building full of creatives and just having somewhere to work away from home has been a real game-changer for me. It has helped me get on with work, network and find friends in a new city and also helps me separate my homelife from my work life.
If you can’t find these things the online can be a good source of support in Facebook groups etc.
I know of people who skype or video message with others. They aren’t talking they just work virtually together and chat or ask questions when they want to.
Boundaries
If you can, have set times that you work. If that’s not possible on your schedule then look at your calendar each week and work out the times you do have for the coming week and hold that time in your diary as if it were an important appointment that you can’t move. If you do work from home some people suggest a quick walk around the block before you get to work as a way to move from home thoughts to work thoughts.
Get dressed! If you work from home it can be easy to start work and not really feel ready. Some people suggest having a ‘work uniform’, nothing fancy, just what you wear for work. Having a ‘uniform’ apparently really helps with decision fatigue. If you find making decisions hard the best thing to do is to make your decisions in advance so that you just act. Having a uniform helps with this. The little decisions we make each day take their toll
Set your own work hours and stick to them
If you are your own boss you have the benefit of being able to set your own working hours. However, often that means that it can be difficult to separate work time from leisure time and with social media it can be easy to end up doing work at weekends when you’ve not scheduled that time to. Having proper breaks away from work are important for you and your business so work out how to do this.
Regular walks
A specific space for your work is good. If you have to work in the living room then pack away and go outside for a quick walk and come back in.
Hobbies
Jewellery making was once your hobby and now it’s your business. Even if it is a side hussle (something you are making a bit of money on while still working in a job) it changes your relationship with jewellery making. It is good to find a hobby that is away from your day to day activities so you may need to find something else. It could be another craft, baking, cooking, mountain climbing, stamp collecting – it doesn’t matter what it is! If you are struggling to think about what you’d enjoy think about how you spend your free time as a child as that might give you some clues.
Exercise and food
If you were travelling to and from work you’d spend money on food so buy yourself some nice, nutritious food!
Sleep
We all need different amounts of sleep but we all need good quality sleep. If you struggle with this you’re going to struggle with all aspects of life so it’s worth taking some time to get it right.
Here is some advice
Have a regular routine. You have a circadian rhythm (meaning about a day) and your body gets used to a certain pattern. If you’ve ever had jetlag then you’ll know this! Sticking to a pattern is helpful to signal to your body when it is time to rest and when it is time to wake.
If you struggle with going to bed set a bedtime alarm to remind you.
Don’t just go from working and active straight to bed! You need something in between. It could be reading. Some people like to have a shower or bath. It could be talking to a loved one.
If you are sensitive to light then get blackout blinds or an eye mask.
Do not have your phone or other devices in your bedroom; leave them somewhere else. If your phone is your alarm then get a cheap alarm clock! There is research to say that if your device is close by you don’t get the same quality of sleep.
If you find you wake in the night with ideas and thoughts then keep a notepad and pen by the bed. Some people make the mistake of making notes on their phone but the light from your phone impacts your brain and makes you wake up (our circadian rhythm is affected a lot by light).
Stick with it. It can take a while for a new routine to work but you will train your body to response.
Find rhythms that work for you
This is if you have the luxury of choosing how to use your time! If you are a parent or carer then you may have to fit in work around your commitments to others. But, if you can, work out when you are at your best and try to schedule your working time around that. For example, I know I am not a morning person! I work best from around noon so I have scheduled my work time so that I do exercise and other things in the morning. I then go to my studio for midday and usually work until about 7pm.
Holidays and sick days
Take a sick day if you need one. That does not mean you work in bed! It means that your body and mind needs to rest and you will rest. It is always best to schedule time to be ill into your shipping policies! If I have to make anything to order I add in at least 3 days to be ill or have something happen which means I can’t meet the deadline.
The key to self care is to know yourself – work out what works for you. If something doesn’t work then that’s great too as it’s just more knowledge!
Working for yourself and creating beautiful jewellery is a privilege and the quicker you find your own rhythms and ways of working the better it will be for you and, ultimately, your customers.
Blog post by our Community Manager Anna Campbell. She left her job at a university six years ago to work with jewellery. Previously she has been a full-time lecturer in psychology and still occasionally teaches courses in health psychology and positive psychology – the psychology of happiness and wellbeing. So she was the perfect person to ask to give advice on self care for jewellers!